President to visit Vietnam

President U Htin Kyaw and First Lady Daw Su Su Lwin are set to make an
official state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Vietnamese President Tran
Dai Quang.

According to a statement released by the President’s Office, U Htin Kyaw
will attend a number of meetings with regional partners while in Vietnam.

“In conjunction with the state visit, the president will also attend the 8th
CLMV Summit, the 7th ACMECS Summit and the World Economic Forum on the Mekong
Region to be held in Hanoi,” the statement read.

These three international meetings started yesterday in Hanoi. Vietnamese
state media reported that U Htin Kyaw’s visit will run from October 26 to 28.
The President’s Office could not be reached for confirmation or comment on the
trip yesterday.

According to The Hanoi Times, on October 23 Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen
Xuan Phuc inspected the preparations at the National Convention Center and
reaffirmed the importance of the three regional summits.

Political analyst U Yan Myo Thein said that Myanmar should observe and learn
from Vietnam regarding its balancing of relationship with both the US and
China.

“Although Vietnam is a communist country, it can maintain its relationship
with the US while at the same time being able to pursue its national interests
through its relationship with China,” he said.

This will mark the first time that U Htin Kyaw has visited Vietnam since
assuming office in April.

According to official data, Vietnam has invested US$693 million in Myannmar,
making it the 10th-largest foreign direct investor.